1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to the optometry and optician fields, and more particularly to digital image processing and displaying apparatus for use by optometrists, opticians, eyeglass vendors, and related parties.
2. Background Art
When a person requires a new pair of eyeglasses, he or she usually visits an optometrist for an eye examination. Normally, an optician is also on hand to assist the person in selecting and fitting the new eyeglasses. After the eye exam, the person must select a frame for his or her eyeglasses. As many of us know, this process involves a review of many different frames made physically available to the person by the optician.
This process can be tedious, because: (1) the person may have to wait before being helped by an optician; (2) the person must choose from a large number of frame styles and manufacturers, usually requiring the assistance of the optician; (3) the person must physically try-on each of the frames selected for consideration; and (4) the person must preview each tried-on frame in a mirror without his or her prescription lenses, which can be difficult for some and inconvenient for most.
Also, when viewing frames on the face, the person does not see the optical effects of the prescription lenses to be placed in the frames. Thus, the person must select a frame without assessing this important aesthetic factor.
The above-described process requires the optician to display a large physical inventory of frames. This requirement is expensive, and inevitably limits the number and variety of frames that an optician can make available to the customer.
Once a particular frame is selected, the optician must then obtain certain measurements needed to produce the eyeglasses (i.e., the position of the customer's eyes with respect to the frame). These measurements include the distance between the pupils, the ocular centers, the monocular pupillary distances, and the segment heights. Such measurements are critical for the proper manufacture of the eyeglasses for the selected frames. If such measurements are not properly taken, the resulting eyeglasses become useless to the customer, and time and money are wasted. Such measurements are usually taken manually with a ruler or with the aid of various measurement devices. All such methods require skill and great care to achieve acceptable accuracy. In practice, such accuracy is not always attained.
Different approaches have been proposed to overcome the various drawbacks mentioned above with respect to frame selection and eye/frame measurement. One particularly interesting approach is to simulate the frames (or eyewear) in a computer and digitally superimpose such eyewear on a digital image of the customer. Systems to carry out such an approach are proposed in the following patents: U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,570 to Jordan; U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,184 to Tamura et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,641 to Ninomiya et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,260 to Mori et al. These computer-based systems have not gained widespread acceptance in the eyewear industry and by the general public.
One reason for this lack of acceptance is that such systems may not be presenting a realistic composite image of the customer wearing a selected frame. For instance, the systems proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,570 to Jordan, U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,184 to Tamura et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,641 to Ninomiya et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,260 to Mori et al., do not display the temple portions of the frames on the face. The absence of these temple portions is immediately apparent to the customer, and adversely affects the credibility of the system as perceived by the customer. As a result, the customer is not likely to rely on such a system for selecting frames.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,585 to Spackova et al. proposes merging a frame having a temple portion with a face image, using separately displayed images of the frame and face and combining them with a half mirror. A digital processor embodiment is also proposed, however, it is not explained how the frame and face images are to be merged in the digital processor.
Further, as to the realism issue, the systems proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,570 to Jordan, U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,184 to Tamura et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,641 to Ninomiya et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,585 to Spackova et al., do not address the problem of superimposing transparent and semi-transparent frames and frame parts (such as the nosepad) on a face image. Transparent and semi-transparent frames (or parts thereof) pickup background color when the frame image is created. This background color is very noticeable in the frame (or frame part) when viewing the composite image, and thus conveys a fake and not very convincing appearance. U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,260 to Mori et al. recognizes this problem, however, it fails to describe any real solution.
Another possible reason why the above-mentioned patented systems have not gained widespread acceptance is that such systems do not provide automatic measurement of the eye/frame parameters necessary to manufacture the lenses for the selected frame. U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,155 to Ducarouge et al. proposes a system to automatically obtain the eye/frame measurements by way of pupil and frame detection. However, in Ducarouge et al., the customer must wear a selected frame before his or her image is acquired by the system. Thus, the customer must choose his or her frame in the conventional manner before the system can be used, and the optician must carry a full complement of frames as is conventionally done. Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,248 to Norton et al., the customer must wear a selected frame before his or her image is acquired and measurements are made.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,570 to Jordan it is mentioned that the shape of the customer's face is an important factor in selecting frames. However, in Jordan, the customer or optician must first determine the shape of the customer's face and then manually enter this parameter into the system. Such a process may be inconvenient and may yield an incorrect face shape determination. For example, it may be difficult for an inexperienced optician to distinguish between oblong and oval faces.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,576,778 to Fujie et al. proposes a system which acquires the face image of the customer and, through digital image detection, automatically determines the face shape and other facial features of the customer. The system then assists the customer in selecting frames that are best suited for his or her facial features. However, the Fujie et al. system does not simulate and superimpose eyeglass frames on the face image. Thus, the optician must carry a full complement of frames as is conventionally done.